Once a year, several fairly eminent French wine trade
people come to South Africa and judge the local wines that are entered into
this very interesting competition sponsored by the Taj Hotel. We so wish more
farms would enter, because there were some huge gaps, especially not enough
Chenin blanc, which they say they really appreciated, no viogniers and none of
our best white blends, even though the judges say we are making stunning
Semillon and not showcasing it enough.
We had a good dinner and each table had a bottle of each
of the winning wines to share over dinner, so we had a really great experience
with some excellent wines. Many of the winning winemakers had wrested
themselves away from a very busy harvest to be there, so it made for a very
happy and joyous evening
Sadly the head judge, Olivier Poussier, (the Best
Sommelier in the World competition winner, wine consultant, writer and group
sommelier of Lenôtre), seems to dislike our Sauvignons blanc – many of us think
perhaps he has not tasted enough of them or the right ones.... He says we don’t
have the right terroir and fairly obviously prefers French but really likes
those made in Australia and New Zealand where pyrazines are a feature. .. He
doesn’t like our pyrazines. Lynne had quite a conversation with him as he left,
mostly in French, and he said he had enjoyed the competition very much. The
Award ceremony was ably MC’d by Neil Pendock
The award is a
plaque rather than a trophy
The menu for
dinner. All the winning wines were served with the meal and every table had a
bottle of each
Small torchon
of chicken with Poached pear and camomile served as an Amuse Bouche
The starter
was the best dish. Franschhoek trout in an Asian marinade with salmon caviar
and lemon. A perfect match for the only Chenin Blanc to win , the magnificent
De Morgenzon 2013 Reserve Chenin Blanc
The line up of
the white wine Trophy winners. We also started the evening with glasses of
Villiera’s trophy winning 2008 elegant Monro Brut MCC
Our table
companions lined up all the wines in front of them and it was a little
difficult to get their attention and get some of them to taste
John did
manage to get a photograph of all the red Trophy winners
Our main
course of seared loin of veal with sweetbreads and garlic mash. Our veal was
very PC and nice and dark in colour, obviously not a crated baby animal. And it
was a sizeable steak they served.
Riana Hall sat
through the awards next to Lynne till the end of dinner, thinking she had not
won anything and then with dessert she was at last presented with her trophy
for her stunningly good Rudera Noble Late Harvest Dessert wine, So well
deserved and she was so delighted.
Award winners
Vineyard manager Floricius Beukes and Winemaker Boela Gerber From Groot
Constantia get the award for their 2013 Chardonnay and Gouverneurs Reserve 2011
which was one of our favourite wines of the evening
Dessert was a
raspberry Baked Alaska
Carolyn Martin
of Creation Wines comes to congratulate Riana Hall for winning the NLH Trophy
Some of the
trophy winners
Wendy and Hilton Appelbaum looking
happy after the Awards
© John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus 2014
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